Explosion and Fire Break Out at Slovnaft Oil Refinery in Bratislava

An explosion followed by a major fire has struck the Slovnaft oil refinery in Bratislava. The incident occurred around midday when, according to the company, one of the storage tanks holding petroleum products was damaged, causing its contents to ignite.

Slovnaft reported that no one was injured in the incident, and the plant's own fire and rescue service is on site, gradually bringing the situation under control. Company spokesman Anton Molnár said there is no immediate danger to surrounding city districts or their residents.

Witnesses reported hearing a powerful blast near the refinery that rattled windows in nearby buildings. Footage circulating on social media suggests the explosion took place around 1:40 p.m., after which tall flames shot up and thick black smoke drifted toward the Petržalka district and onward toward the Austrian border. Local residents were advised to stay indoors temporarily and keep their windows closed.

Not the Plant's First Fire

This is not the first serious incident at Slovnaft. In October 2014, an explosion at the plant was caused by improper handling by staff — according to broadcaster Markíza, workers had used a welding torch to remove rusted bolts, resulting in minor injuries to two employees.

In January 2009, an even more powerful blast shook the area around the plant when polyethylene exploded due to a technical malfunction during equipment start-up. And in August 2008, the plant's rescue services battled a fire at an oil-filled transformer substation.

Source: novinky.cz